Want Irish dual citizenship or nationality? Read this guide.

If you’re an expat living in the Republic of Ireland, you might be considering taking up an Irish citizenship. There are some clear benefits to this. Becoming an Irish citizen means you’re also a member of the EU, and you can live, work and travel freely in any EU member state. You’ll also benefit from all the fundamental rights that Irish citizens are granted, and be able to vote and run for office in Ireland or the EU. There are lots of advantages to becoming an Irish citizen. But what if you don’t want to give up your original nationality to do so?

Taking up dual citizenship might be the answer. Here’s the lowdown on who can apply, and how you can go about getting dual citizenship with the Republic of Ireland.

Can you have dual citizenship in Ireland?

The island of Ireland is divided into two parts. There’s Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland. The information here refers to taking up citizenship of the Republic of Ireland - the southern part of the island. If you’re interested in getting British citizenship - which would allow you to live in Northern Ireland - check out this handy guide to getting citizenship of the United Kingdom.

The good news is that the Republic of Ireland does recognise dual citizenship.

However, whether or not this works for you will depend on your original citizenship. Some other countries don’t accept dual nationalities, so you might be forced by the law in your home country to give up your original citizenship if you become an Irish national.

Which major countries don’t allow dual citizenship with Ireland?

Although Ireland allows dual citizenship, there are a number of countries which don’t allow dual nationality, regardless of the circumstances. That means that, if you’re from one of these countries, you can’t hold dual citizenship, with Ireland or anywhere else. You’d have to give up your original nationality before taking up your new citizenship. These countries include:

China

India

Indonesia

Japan

Malaysia

Singapore

Thailand

United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The laws regarding citizenship - and dual nationality in particular - are complex. If you’re considering taking up a second citizenship it’s important that you first seek legal advice from an immigration lawyer.

Which major countries do allow dual citizenship with Ireland?

Some countries allow dual citizenship without restriction, such as Ireland and the UK. However, some other countries offer dual citizenship only under certain circumstances, or to people whose original citizenship is from a specific country or region.

Some of the main countries which accept dual citizenship with Ireland include:

Australia

Belgium

Canada

Denmark

France

Finland

Greece

Hungary

Israel

Italy

Pakistan

Philippines

Portugal

Sweden

Switzerland

United Kingdom

United States

Can you get triple citizenship in Ireland?

Triple, or multiple citizenship, is theoretically allowed in Ireland. Because you don’t need to give up previous nationalities to be an Irish citizen, holding other citizenships won’t affect your chances of becoming an Irish citizen.

However, if you become an Irish citizen through naturalisation, and then take up citizenship of a third country, you do need to be wary. That’s because, to get citizenship through naturalisation in the first place you have to show you have a real tie to the country, and that you intend to live there. If you subsequently leave for a long period, or take up an additional citizenship after becoming an Irish national, you could have your Irish citizenship revoked because you’re no longer fulfilling this requirement.

How many nationalities are you actually allowed to have?

Irish law doesn’t limit the number of nationalities you can have. However, in practical terms, there’s an effective cap on the number of citizenships most individuals can hold. That’s because many other countries ban dual citizenship and every country has its own set of fairly stringent residency requirements for citizens.

How can you lose Irish citizenship?

You can choose to renounce your Irish citizenship if, for example, you want to take citizenship of a country which doesn’t allow dual nationality. This is done by filling in and filing a declaration of alienage. You have to be over 18 and complete the declaration in the presence of a notary or some other similar professional.

You can lose your citizenship if you’re a naturalised Irish citizen and it’s found that you’ve lied on your application. You can also lose your citizenship if you fail in your duty of loyalty to the state, if you hold citizenship of a country that’s at war with Ireland, or if you live outside of Ireland for over 7 years.

If there’s a risk your citizenship will be revoked, you’ll be notified in writing and have the right to appeal the decision.

What are the actual steps to becoming a citizen of Ireland?

There are several steps to becoming an Irish citizen - they’re all set out on the Irish government website.

Here’s an outline of the steps you’ll have to take:

Ensure you meet the requirements for Irish citizenship

Submit relevant documents and proof of eligibility

Pay your fee - currently this is €175 if you’re becoming a citizen by naturalisation

Assuming your application is approved, you’ll attend a citizenship ceremony where you’re given a certificate of naturalisation

Following your citizenship ceremony, you can apply for an Irish passport

How long does it take to become an Irish citizen?

Before you can apply for Irish citizenship you have to fulfil some fairly strict requirements. One of the requirements is based on your residency. This states that you’ll usually have to have lived in Ireland for 5 years out of the previous 9, before you’re eligible to apply for citizenship. The year before you apply you must reside in Ireland for the whole calendar year. However, these requirements can sometimes be amended or waived if you fulfil other criteria, such as being married to an Irish citizen or having some Irish ancestry.

Once you’ve sent in your application, you should hear back within a week with a confirmation that your paperwork has been received. The actual citizenship decision can take up to 6 months - and longer if you don’t include all the right paperwork with your application.

If I’m obtaining dual citizenship, do I need to inform both countries of my new citizenship, or do the countries themselves do that?

This depends somewhat on your circumstances.

Most likely you won’t need to worry if your country of origin allows dual citizenship without restriction, and you’re becoming an Irish citizen. However, because citizenship is complex and depends on your personal circumstances, it’s worth seeking some professional advice before going too far in the process.

Similarly, if you’re seeking Irish citizenship as a second citizenship, and your country of origin doesn’t allow dual nationality, or has its own restrictions in place, this could get tricky. It’s best to check with an immigration lawyer, or your local embassy or consulate, if you have a duty to inform your home country of your intentions.

Finally, if you hold Irish citizenship through naturalisation and want to seek another citizenship from a different country, you should check the legal implications. Theoretically you could have your Irish citizenship revoked if you no longer have ties to the country, or if you don’t live in Ireland for over 7 years.

If you have, or are in the process of acquiring, dual nationality, it’s likely that you live and work away from your home country, or frequently need to travel. Splitting your life between different countries can cause some practical headaches. It can also be costly - especially when it comes to moving your money between bank accounts held in different countries and currencies.

The TransferWise multi-currency borderless account is a neat solution for people who live and work abroad, or travel regularly, and need their money to be flexible. You’re able to hold your money in any one of dozens of different currencies, all within one account. You can see your balance at a glance, and then convert money between currencies whenever you need to.

When you switch your money between currencies with TransferWise you’ll always get the same exchange rate that banks use when they trade currencies between themselves. That’s the rate you’d find on Google, and the only real exchange rate. And it’s the only fair rate. While many banks and money transfer services claim that they’ll exchange your money for free, or for a low fee, you could find that they hide their profit in a poor exchange rate. That means you pay more than you have to. With TransferWise, you don’t need to worry about being ripped off with an unfair exchange rate. You just pay a transparent upfront fee, for a quick transfer with no nasty surprises.

TransferWise borderless multi-currency accounts are supported for consumers and businesses living in the following countries

Aland Islands

American Samoa

Andorra

Anguilla

Antarctica

Armenia

Aruba

Australia

Bahamas

Barbados

Belgium

Benin

Bermuda

Bhutan

Irish Indian Ocean Territory

Irish Virgin Islands

Brunei

Bulgaria

Canada

Cape Verde

Chile

China

Christmas Island

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Cook Islands

Costa Rica

Croatia

Czech Republic

Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Estonia

Faroe Islands

Fiji

Finland

France

French Guiana

French Polynesia

French Southern Territories

Georgia

Germany

Greece

Greenland

Grenada

Guadeloupe

Guernsey

Guyana

Haiti

Holy See (Vatican City State)

Hungary

Indonesia

Ireland

Isle of Man

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Jersey

Latvia

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Malta

Marshall Islands

Martinique

Mayotte

Micronesia

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Montserrat

Morocco

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

New Caledonia

Niue

Norfolk Island

Palau

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Pitcairn

Poland

Portugal

Puerto Rico

Romania

Reunion

Saint Helena

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Saint Vincent and Grenadines

Saint-Barthélemy

Saint-Martin (French part)

San Marino

Sao Tome and Principe

Seychelles

Slovakia

Slovenia

South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

South Korea

Spain

Suriname

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Turks and Caicos Islands

United Arab Emirates

Ireland

Uruguay

TransferWise borderless multi-currency accounts support transfers and switching with the following currencies

AED

AUD

BGN

CAD

CHF

CZK

DKK

EUR

GEL

GBP

HKD

HRK

HUF

ILS

JPY

KES

MXN

NOK

NZD

PEN

PLN

RON

SEK

SGD

TRY

UAH

USD

ZAR

TransferWise borderless multi-currency accounts can generate local bank details in the following regions / currencies

USD

GBP

AUD

EUR

If you’re considering dual citizenship, there are some practical considerations to bear in mind. Whether or not you can acquire Irish citizenship will depend on your country of origin - but for many expats in Ireland it’s possible.

And if you split your time between two - or more - countries, then it also pays to think about practical solutions to make your money work for you. A TransferWise multi-currency borderless account is built for international people. While traditional banks could charge you excessive fees to move your money around, a borderless account lets your money move with you, with fair exchange rates and transparent fees - so you can just get on with enjoying life.